Apple Inc. (AAPL): Does It Have What It Takes To Stay Ahead?

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s stock price has practically dropped off a cliff since it hit its all-time high of $705 per share in September, and there’s plenty of debate about whether it will ever make a comeback. However, when you’re talking about a company like Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), making a comeback starts with the release of a blockbuster product.

Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s “Dynamic Capabilities”

Huffington Post contributor David J. Teece said he believes that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) still has “the magic.” He said he studies companies “based on their underlying ‘dynamic capabilities,’” which are how easily they can adapt to change and also create new markets and shape current ones. He said this goes far beyond the company’s financial strength or anything else.

It’s about how well the company can innovate and how quickly it can adapt to the changing wants and needs of consumers. He points out that companies which have dynamic capabilities tend to stay around for a longer time, and it’s more difficult to replicate their processes. He believes Apple will fall into this category, which means that another great product should be just around the bend.

Apple Inc. (AAPL) Without Steve Jobs

There have long been concerns that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) won’t be able to innovate the way it has in the past now that Steve Jobs is gone. But it seems clear to me that Jobs’ charisma and his ability to inspire others would have taught those at his company quite a bit. So while the world will never see another Steve Jobs, we will continue to see his effect on the world in how those who learned from him are able to shape it.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) shares have shown steady growth ever since the company went public, so the significant drop in value is certainly hard for investors to swallow. But even if Apple’s stock doesn’t get back to $700 tomorrow, it will likely keep growing in the long term. Things don’t have to be over for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), and they probably aren’t. True innovation takes time, after all.